A tanker carrying 1 lakh tonnes of crude oil has arrived at the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port, bringing relief to Bangladesh’s fuel supply chain after months of disruption caused by regional tensions in the Middle East.
The vessel, named MT Fossil, reached the port from Fujairah Port in the United Arab Emirates. Unloading operations began around 10:30am on Friday using lighter vessels to transport the crude oil to shore facilities.
Officials at Eastern Refinery Limited said the unloading process is expected to continue over the next several days.
Md Mostafizur Rahman, general manager for Operations and Planning at Eastern Refinery, said approximately 25 to 26 lighter vessels may be needed to fully unload the shipment from the tanker.
He added that the entire quantity of crude oil is expected to reach the refinery within the next eight to ten days.
The latest shipment comes after another tanker, MT Ninemia, delivered an equal volume of crude oil from Yanbu Port in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.
Bangladesh’s crude oil supply chain faced major disruptions beginning on 18 February amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, including concerns over a possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy shipping route.
The supply interruption eventually created a shortage of crude oil in Bangladesh, forcing Eastern Refinery to suspend refinery operations from 12 April.
Production at the refinery resumed on 8 May following the arrival of the earlier shipment carried by MT Ninemia.
Industry officials said the arrival of MT Fossil is expected to help stabilise fuel processing operations and ensure smoother petroleum supply across the country in the coming weeks.
.jpg "LPG cylinder price reduced to Tk1,885 in Bangladesh")
